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Races:Lukoi
Overview Lukoi, or Klanzvulf as they prefer to be called, are a large and hearty race of tall, muscular, wolf-like humanoids. They are quite animalistic and feral in appearance on the battlefield, making them highly prized warriors, shock troops, and bodyguards. They are naturally adept at melee combat and small unit tactics. Like the Shou, their mental nature leaves them unsuited for magic and psionics. Additionally, they suffer from the fact that most Kantian machinery, clothing, housing, and weapons are not built for their unusual body design. Lukoi live in Packs, extended families that encompass the wives of sons and such grandparents as still live. Individual lukoi also often belong to clans. Clans have various political alignments, both within and without the race. Although all of the clan leaders from each of the clans meet semi-annually to discuss general issues facing the Lukoi, they have very little central government. Lukoi are most common in western and northern Drakkar, Misthelm, the Cyrmian Empire, and in the remote regions of the Dragonspires. Many lukoi choose to live in Valsaeg with the dwarves where they are greatly welcomed for their battle prowess. Klanzvulf possess a strong distinction between the various clans. Although the clans may have many philosophical or physical differences, they treat each other with care and respect. Occasionally there will be a clash of interests, which can be very bloody, but they get along with each other for the most part. *Common Primary Languages: Drakkaran, Valtian, Cyrmian. *Common Secondary Languages: Asterian, Sh'ahn, Riti, Sylvan, Trollish, Goblin, Gnoll. Uncommon Secondary Languages: Gleh-rhun, Draconic, High Riti, Rakka, Ishan. Merits & Flaws Merits *Natural weapons: Possess claw and bite attacks. Refer to unarmed combat chart in the system rules chapter. *Low-light Vision *Skill: Tracking: +20 AV adj. due to keen sense of smell and natural instinct. *Psychic void *Magic Resistance: The Lukoi are naturally resistant to magic. *Cold Tolerance: Lukoi actually tend find cold temperatures quite comfortable *Immune to Lycanthropy *Sense of Smell Flaws *Skill: Handguns: All -10 AV adjustment. Due to their large sized and furry hands, many handguns don't fit properly. This does not affect most rifles. *Animal Enmity: Lukoi do not get along with other animals except for canines, but they have managed to domesticate muls and kolpena. *Flammable: Having a lush coat of fur covering one's body is fine and dandy, until one catches on fire. Damage from sources of fire causes an extra point of damage each round. *Magic Disciplines: -2 Discipline adj. *Magic Skills: -10 AV spell casting adj. *Manipulation Discipline: -2 discipline adj. *Manipulation skills: -10 AV adj. *Climbing Skill: -20 AV adjustment due to odd leg and hand design coupled with large size. *Odd Shaped Hands: Due to the shape and design of their furry hands, Lukoi suffer a -20 AV penalty when dealing with complex mechanical objects or tools, clockwork mechanisms, gunsmithing, etc. *Low Heat Tolerance: Lukoi do not handle high temperatures well. Temperatures over 90 degrees cause lukoi to suffer penalties from heat exhaustion and discomfort. *Magic Limitations: The Lukoi can only learn magic from the following disciplines: Faith, Shadow, and Nature. Other magic forms are impossible to learn as a Lukoi. History The Lukoi weren't always as they are now - their history has it's roots in humanity. When St. Elias the Converter, a priest of Aldine, (Elias Shaman-burner in clan mythology) came east to convert heathen Drakkar, he was heavily resisted by the Clans of the Moon, primitive tribes of hardened, grizzly, savage, pale skinned mountain dwellers who were the staunchest followers of Narghal, the Wolf Lord, a deity Elias, in his faith, assumed to be the embodiment of man's degenerate nature. The shaman-burner was ill-prepared for what awaited him deep in the mountains. Elias found when he herded the Clans into their mountain lairs. The Clerics of Holy Light fought a long, hard guerrilla war against the mighty clansmen, and eventually backed them into a single mountain temple-fortress of the barbaric Clans of the Moon. The Guardians of Light, Elias' elite warriors, breached the fortress only to come upon the end a of great religious ritual. As the Guardians burst in upon the Conclave of the Clans, they were horrified to see the Clansmen writhing, spastic on their feet, as though grasped by some berserk delirium sent by their fanged god - and terrified when the warriors, women, and children of the clans began to display signs of transformation at the end of their heathen dance. The clansmen sprouted claws and fur, tails and fangs. Their zealous visages pushed outward into knife-toothed muzzles, and the shocked Guardians of Light realized that the new-formed wolf-men could smell them where they hid. Narghal was real and his fanged wrath stalked land. The remade clansmen fell first upon the commandos and then on the army at their gates. It would be a century of war and strife before human and Lukoi within Drakkar could make peace and begin to integrate into the society of modern Kantia. Now, however, the strife is largely forgotten and the Klanzvulf live in peace with humans in Drakkar and the surroundings. The Klanzvulf have since adopted many aspects of the teachings of St. Elias into their life. Many Lukoi choose to become priests in Aldine, the Order of Holy Truth, although with a twist of interpretation here and there. To this day though, the Klanzvulf can not forget what St. Elias and his Clerics of the Holy Light did to their people. Wise members of the Clerics do not let their association be known when they travel in areas thick with the Klanzvulf, particularly when in areas controlled by the primitive Narghal Clan. Clans Darkmoon Clan The Darkmoon Clan is highly enlightened, often living in larger communities alongside humans, dwarves, and fae. Darkmoon tend to be smaller and weaker than the members of other clans. As such, they do not gain the racial bonuses for Strength or Size (maximum STR of 20, Size of 15). What they lack in size and strength, they have regained in spiritual power. They are capable of learning all Arcane disciplines without out penalty, but lose their magic resistance. Additionally, all Darkmoon clan possess one rank of Shadow Arcanum. Darkmoon tend to be better educated and must choose Education as either their first or second skill priority. It is possible to be an inducted member of the Darkmoon Clan, but inductees do not have any of the benefits of possessing Darkmoon Blood. Those benefits only affect those born of Natural Darkmoon Blood. Darkmoon clan members associate freely with the Silvertooth clan and have no objections to the other clans' political positions or designs. They tend to view the Narghal clan as barbaric, but they hold them in great respect, despite their perceived shortcomings. Darkmoon Clan are more likely than many other Klanzvulf to take up adventuring considering their easygoing attitude towards other races. Darkmoon Clan chose to either worship Narghal or Aldine, or sometimes both. They choose their Clan leaders and representatives through democratic vote. Inducted members of the Darkmoon Clan only count as half a vote, while native members whom were born into the clan count as a whole vote. Aldinite Clan This clan consists of fanatical devotees to Aldine. They do not suffer any penalties to their spell abilities when using Faith Arcanum, though all other disciplines suffer the standard Klanzvulf penalties, whether the character is of Natural Blood or just inducted into the clan. Aldinites tend to be well-educated and are equally likely to live in either rural or urban settings. Aldinites are fanatical in their devotion to Aldine, they believe that if it were not for Aldine, they would not exist in their current form, physically and spiritually. They oppose the worship of Narghal in all of its forms and do not hide their distaste of individuals who are willing to show their faith to the old god. As such, they do not get along with the Narghal clan at all. In fact, confrontations between the two clans often turn bloody. They do not get along with the Knifetooth Clan not only because they worship Narghal, but also because they view Knifetooth to be of poor moral fibre. Aldinites always worship Aldine at the exclusion of all other gods. While some Aldinites are willing to secretly admit to acknowledging other deities, most Aldinites vehemently believe that Aldine is the one and only true God. They tend to take the scripture of Aldine quite literally and will not compromise on issues of spiritual importance. This attitude has endeared them to many human and fae worshipers of Aldine, but it usually puts them at odds with just about everyone else. This is not to mean that Aldinites are a solely self-serving people. Quite the contrary, in fact. Most Aldinites are very altruistic and charitable, although their charity often comes at the prices of having to endure a spiritual lesson in the ways of the "One true path." Despite the obvious contradictions in their religions, Aldinites and Shou have a grudging respect for eachother's faiths. Shou view the Aldinites as overly pious and pompous, but quite admirable in the devotion and honor to their god. Aldinites usually can find nothing wrong with the lifestyles of the Shou, apart from their lack of faith in Aldine. Representatives of the Aldinite Clan are chosen through divine visions and omens. Naturally, this has caused rifts within the clan on many occasions. Knifetooth Clan The Knifetooth Clan is a violent and bloodthirsty loose association of huntsmen, thieves, thugs, and assassins. Most Knifetooth live in urban settings, often organizing into gangs and packs that control many aspects of organized crime in Drakkar, Misthelm, the Cyrmian Empire, and Southern Darkhold. Only about 1/3 of the Knifetooth Clan is of Natural Blood. The remainder consists of inducted members which can even include members of other races, if they have proven their worth to the Knifetooth. About 33% of the Knifetooth clan's population isn't even Lukoi. Longtime members of the Knifetooth clan have a bonus skill, Influence: Crime at a rank 5. Knifetooth Clan freely associate with just about everyone, with the exception of the Aldinites (due to obvious moral and ethical conflicts). Shou and Knifetooth usually do not get along, but usually because the Shou have difficulty trusting the Knifetooth. This is not to say the Knifetooth are not honorable. They are honorable in their own way, but they are not trustworthy. Knifetooth usually worship Narghal (sometimes just to spite the Aldinites). Clan representatives are chosen by high ranking members within the Knifetooth clan. Narghal Clan The Narghal Clan are primitive and barbaric, living deep in the forests and mountains of Drakkar and Misthelm. They very, very rarely live in cities, and visit them only occasionally. The Narghal Clan almost never inducts people to become members of their clan, so membership is nearly 100% Natural Blood. When dealing with civilized persons of other cultures, Narghal suffer a -10 AV penalty to all social skills. All Narghal gain the special ability to go into a blood frenzy when in combat. This is ability is the same as having one rank of the Berserker heroic characteristic. Additionally, Narghal suffer a -2 penalty to Reasoning but gain another +2 to one of the following attributes: Perception, Strength, Fortitude, Agility, or Constitution. Additionally, the Narghal can choose from Lupine Shuri spells if they learn the faith discipline, although they still suffer from the discipline and arcane skill penalties. The Narghal clan exclusively worships Narghal. This naturally puts them at odds with members of the Aldinites. In fact, the Narghal and Aldinites hate each other, often engaging in bloody conflicts. Concerning every other clan or race, the Narghal rarely interact, preferring to remain within their well-hidden and reclusive villages. Many Narghal are nomadic, and many live solitary lives. This lack of contact lends the Narghal Clan to remain very cautious around the other clans and they distrust non-Klanzvulf until they have been given some reason to trust. Concerning the worshipers of Aldine, Narghal Clan members actively hate many of them. In fact, the Narghal train many of their best warriors specifically to hunt and kill the Clerics of the Holy Light, the descendants of the original warriors led by Saint Elias. The Narghal packs are each led by a Patriarchal leader, the Alpha male in charge of hunting, gathering, and defense, and a Matriarchal spiritual and domestic High Adept. These alpha females are often powerful clerics of Narghal. Each pack's Chieftain and High Adept will choose their pack's representative that will take part in "The Choosing." The Choosing is a great meeting once every 5 years where nearly every Narghal pack will attend. The festival lasts from the first new moon of the year and continues until the first full moon. During that time, each of the selected representatives engages in various physical and mental contests, until four contestants are left. Those four contestants then are given two votes each. They can vote for any of the other three contests, but can not vote for themselves. The victor will serve as the Narghal representative for the next five years at the Clan Council. In the case of a tie, the eldest contestant is selected. Silvertooth Clan The Silvertooth Clan is one of the most prominent and politically powerful Clans. They act the least like Klanzvulf, having adopted many human, Rom-Shur, dwarven, and shou customs. Although scholarly and diplomatic, they still have a tendency to come across as gruff and rude individuals. Despite this, they are skilled negotiators and merchants. As such, all Silvertooth Clan gain a +10 on all social skills when dealing with other Klanzvulf and Shou (except Narghal Clan) and a +5 bonus to all social skill checks when dealing with everyone else. Silvertooth Clan make excellent diplomats, merchants, leaders, and politicians. Their clan's focus on political and social endeavors does not give many of their clan members the luxury of studying the arts of war. Additionally, Silvertooth gain 5 ranks of influence in one of the following areas: Merchants, Local Politics, or Foreign Affairs. Silvertooth freely associate with anyone and everyone. They are particularly friendly with Darkmoon Clan, Shou, and Dwarves. Silvertooth Clan elect their representative to the Council of the Clans.